Panelistsand Moderator Randy Frisch
President, City University of Seattle, usa Dan Gregory
Provost, St. Cloud State University, usa Alberto Montoya Puyana
President, Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga, Colombia Marja-Liisa Tenhunen
former President, Centria University of Applied Sciences, Finland Jaime Alonso Gómez (Moderator)
Dean of the School of Business, University of San Diego, and PiMsa Distinguished Chair at Cetys University
triggering CoMMentsand Questions
Universities that claim to be world class are in the midst of a dizzying race to innovate their educational models, in- cluding technological processes, physical spaces, and ser- vice areas such as digital libraries. Innovation as a condi- tion for renewal has provided evidence that some of these changes contribute to the development of life skills. In this context, the following questions were discussed: What is the role of faculty and students in decision-making for in- novation? What kind of professors will be needed in the coming decades? Are universities ready to incorporate the innovative ideas and projects of professors and students?
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Based on who is attending high school and college today, along with the composition of the larger population, we can confidently predict the makeup of the student body for the next decade. Most of the following statistics are based on college students in the United States and are re- ported in “Building a Culture of Innovation in Higher Ed- ucation: Design & Practice for Leaders” (Revolutions and
educause, 2015, p. 5). Although these specific statistics are based on the student population in the United States, the patterns, with appropriate contextualization for culture and society, are generally similar throughout the world.
• The majority of students will be female; currently about 56 % is female.
• A significant proportion of students will be enrolled part-time; currently about 37 % are enrolled part-time.
• In terms of age, the majority will be “non-traditional”:
already more than 50 % are over age 25 and 26 % has children.
• More students will gravitate to online offerings;
currently about 25 % are fully online or in blended courses (partially electronic and partly classroom).
• More students are likely to live at home; only 44 % now live in campus housing.
• Ethnic, racial and religious diversity will continue to increase; about 41 % of current students are non-white.
• Many of the students entering institutions of high- er education will be from low-income backgrounds and the first in their families to attend college.
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• Many more students are likely to be working; cur- rently 52 % work part-time and 20 % full-time.
• Most students will receive some type of financial aid; about 83 % now receive such support.
For students, and for universities, the following is- sues will be of primary importance:
• Access; fundamentally, this is about availability, par- ticularly for previously underserved populations. Are there colleges and universities, as well as specific programs (certificates and degrees) in which I can enroll given my particular needs, interests and cir- cumstances, such as being a working adult who can only take classes online or evenings and weekends?
Students want access to safe, welcoming institutions.
Access also pertains to entering students being ac- ademically (and culturally) prepared to succeed in college. Students want access to accredited institu- tions and accredited programs.
• Cost; this issue is about affordability and value. Can I afford all of the costs associated with college, most specifically tuition, fees, books, housing, etc.? Will I have to take out loans? What is the value of higher education relative to cost?
• Progression; this issue focuses on credit completion and accumulation, gateway course completion, re- tention and dropout rates. Students want to stay on track and to progress in their studies on a timely ba- sis from start to finish, from the first course through graduation.
• Completion; this issue is about students completing the program (course, certificate, degree) they en- rolled in and intended to complete. It is about grad- uation. Students want program and course flexibility within an efficient path to completion.
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• Post-College Outcomes; students are focused on em- ployment, both jobs and promotions, as well as on earnings. Can they find jobs? What types? At what sal- ary? Students are also concerned about their indebt- edness and being able to repay their college loans.
Increasingly, students and parents view themselves as consumers and they view college, specifically the credential, as a ticket to financial well-being. Students expect an education that is focused and career relevant.
They expect higher education to be practical, meaning that upon graduation they will be able to find employ- ment or obtain promotions, that a certificate or degree will improve their opportunities for financial wellbeing.
Additionally, almost all students will be both tech- nology literate (indeed, they are digital natives) and ex- pect that universities provide services and education via technology. They expect the convenience of having ev- erything at their fingertips, from online applications and registration to courses and access to information (the li- brary). Moreover, they expect professors to remain up to date on the latest applications that students prefer at any moment, social or otherwise, and to use them in their teaching. The emergence of new technologies, gen- erally, and online education, specifically, have provided opportunities and created the expectation of being able to learn anywhere, anytime and from anyone. Indeed, many students do not necessarily view university pro- fessors as the foundations and fountains of knowledge.
Students have developed blind faith in consulting online resources (“just Google it”), including information found on social media, without the ability to judge its accuracy.
All of these changes in the student body will great- ly challenge institutions of higher education. How will they serve the great diversity of students and their inter-
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ests? These changes also will challenge the faculty, par- ticularly “old school” professors who view any change in higher education as antithetical to quality academic formation of young minds. Nonetheless, professors are critical to university life in general and specifically to student success. They are at the frontline daily and must be equipped with the skills and knowledge to allow them to do their jobs by fully utilizing the range of new teach- ing tools available and those that may emerge. Thus, continuing professional development in best teaching practices for instructors will be necessary across all in- stitutions of higher education as we continue to better understand what makes students successful.
With the traditional lecture format being thrown into greater question, professors will need to be profi- cient in various teaching methodologies and modalities, particularly methodologies that routinely actively en- gage students in their learning. Professors will need to be creative and innovative in order to hold students’ atten- tion in light of the short attention spans that technology has fomented. This is not an easy task.
Changes in the faculty role have progressed from
“sage on the stage” to “guide on the side” to “facilitator”
to “mentor” to “partners in collaborative learning.” Like- wise, the student role is changing from one of “passive learner” to “being engaged” to “taking responsibility for their learning.” It appears that teaching is moving in the direction of being better tailored to individual students’
needs in order to foster greater student success and this will require professors who are in an ongoing stage of evolution. It will require professors who are unafraid to initiate and lead innovation, to be analytical and criti- cal about teaching, creative, entrepreneurial and with well-developed social skills that allow them to adapt to different working environments. Professors will be
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needed who are flexible and adaptable, able to work in diverse, interdisciplinary and international teams, and help students develop multiple intelligences. Many pro- fessors, as is the case now, will be part-time and fewer will be on tenure tracks. Even at research universities, some professors may be in teaching only lines, with no expectations for research and service.
Professors of the future are likely to be more inter- national, moving freely among nations, in many cases physically relocating and in most cases simple through the means of current and anticipated technology that make it possible to teach across national boundaries from one’s home, without setting foot on a single cam- pus. Likewise, students can take classes from various in- stitutions of higher education simultaneously from their home campus or from their homes.
Another ongoing challenge for both institutions of higher education and professors is around assessment of student learning. It is fair to say that in the past, univer- sities were “faculty-centric” and that they are becoming
“student-centric.” And, the focus used to be on “teaching”
and it is rapidly moving toward “learning.” This emphasis on student learning had been led by accrediting agencies who started seriously focusing on this dimension of higher education about fifteen years ago. It has been a long, slow road but, clearly, American higher education has turned the corner. Assessment of student learning, or measuring
“learning outcomes,” is now expected of all institutions.
And, it must be done at all levels, from institutional to the program and the individual course. Although, generally, faculty have been slow in embracing assessment, some professors have been leaders in this movement, recogniz- ing that innovation in assessment of learning outcomes has resulted in greater learning among students, which is what professors want of their students. Additionally, tech-
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nology is making possible new kinds of embedded assess- ment and adaptive curriculum.
The U.S. Department of Education states the fol- lowing in its Blog page regarding the future of assessing quality, underscoring the focus on student learning out- comes:
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is interested in accelerating and focusing the ongoing conversations about what quality assurance might look like in the era of rapidly expanding educational options that are not traditional institutions of higher education. We are par- ticularly interested in thinking about quality assurance through the lens of measurable student outcomes and competencies.
In sum, although students are changing rapidly in terms of demographics, experiences and expectations, faculty throughout the world are ever more prepared to meet the challenges ahead. Worldwide, a greater num- ber of professors are doctorally prepared and their doc- toral education includes theory and practice in college teaching. There is no doubt that professors will continue to work on the frontlines daily, albeit in various forms and with different methods, for the benefit of students and the greater good.